Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Napoli wasn’t quite enough to secure first place in the group stage, but was still a good performance, nevertheless. Here is how we rated the Reds’ performance last night:
Alisson Becker- 7
Not much to do for the Brazilian a apart from a couple simple saves from a few half chances. Alisson’s distribution was fantastic which kept the play ticking from the back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold- 5
A poor performance from the full-back in my opinion. Defensively, he never looked like getting close to Kvaratskhelia all game and if the winger’s finishing was more on point, then Trent could have been punished. In fairness to the youngster though, some of the passes he played were simply fantastic.
Ibrahima Konate- 9 (Man of the Match)
Not a single thing got past the Frenchman, leaving Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to move over onto Virgil Van Dijk more often to try and get success. Konate was far superior in the air, brave with the ball at his feet and never backed out of a challenge. The whole team looked more stable with Konate back in the lineup.
Virgil Van Dijk- 8
Similarly, Van Dijk put in another phenomenal performance. So calm and composed on the ball, it’s like having a quarterback in the defence. Also gets an extra mark for constantly leaving Osimhen looking like a petulant child.
Kostas Tsimikas- 8.5
The full-back very rarely has a bad game and I think that shows just how important having good competition in a squad really is. Defensively, the Greek international was impeccable and also put in two perfect corners which led to both of Liverpool’s goals on the night.
Fabinho- 6.5
Better than what he has been, but still not quite his usual best. The Brazilian certainly works better in the 4-3-3 system but still got caught ball watching on multiple occasions, leaving him to give away silly fouls regularly. However, Fab looked much more sharp tonight and could see his reading of the game was starting to come back.
Thiago- 8
Calmness personified in the middle of the park. The Spaniard just makes the game look so easy; his passing is a joy to watch.
James Milner- 6.5
The 37-year-old put in a good shift before coming off injured a minute into the second half, his determination is one thing you can never question James Milner on.
Curtis Jones- 7
The youngster looked much brighter last night, getting into some good positions whilst making good use of his quick feet to create space. If he could just work on his reading of the game and attacking positioning, then he could become a really talented player.
Roberto Firmino- 7
Similarly to Jones, the number nine looked promising but couldn’t quite get the final touch right. Obviously pace has never really been a huge factor in Firmino’s game but he has certainly lost some more.
Mohamed Salah- 9
The Egyptian looked as bright as ever, simply a joy to watch. His first touch and passing was on point and he managed to round his game off with the winning goal with five minutes to go.